MINI-PACTOR®
Lab-Scale Premium Roller Compactor — Gerteis
Overview
The MINI-PACTOR® is Gerteis’ lab-scale premium roller compactor, engineered for laboratory development, pilot projects, and small-scale production. It processes materials starting from as little as 10 g and scales up to 100 kg/h. A dedicated Small Amount Funnel handles trials with minimal material, and an optional Ultra Small Amount Funnel delivers near-zero residuals for expensive or rare APIs.
Containment is built in from the start — the standard machine meets an OEL below 3 µg/m³ with no additional isolator or extraction equipment. For more potent compounds, the MINI-PACTOR® C is the dedicated containment variant, achieving an OEL below 1 µg/m³ (OEB 4) without attaching an external isolator. Split butterfly valves on feed and discharge support integration into higher-containment line layouts.
The compaction system uses Gerteis’ free-floating gap design, which automatically adjusts the gap to maintain constant force and consistent ribbon density. A perfect gap seal system minimizes powder bypass and cross-contamination between batches. Wash-In-Place and fully automated Clean-In-Place are available, and the machine is fully instrumented with qualified gap and force measurement for complete process data acquisition.
The MINI-PACTOR® shares harmonized PACTOR® geometry with the production-scale MACRO-PACTOR®, so the design space established at lab scale transfers directly to production using identical process settings. Moving from the 2.5 cm rolls of the MINI-PACTOR® to the 10 cm rolls of the MACRO-PACTOR® delivers roughly a 4× throughput increase at the same force, gap, and speed — the fastest scale-up path on the market.
Key Specifications
| Throughput | 10 g per trial up to 100 kg/h |
| Press Force | 1–20 kN/cm |
| Roller Speed | 1–30 rpm |
| Gap | 1–6 mm |
| Roll Width | 2.5 cm |
| Weight | 1,200 kg |
| Standard OEL | <3 µg/m³ |
| Advanced OEL Design | <1 µg/m³ (OEB 4) — without isolator |
| Controls | 21 CFR Part 11 compliant HMI |
Key Features
Small Amount Funnel
Processes trials with as little as 10 g. Optional Ultra Small Amount Funnel delivers near-zero residuals for high-yield small batches when API is scarce or expensive.
Free Floating Gap Design
The gap between rolls adjusts automatically to maintain constant applied force, keeping ribbon density consistent regardless of powder supply variation.
Containment Without Isolator
Standard containment achieves <3 µg/m³ out of the box. The Advanced OEL Design option reaches <1 µg/m³ (OEB 4) without attaching an isolator.
WIP & CIP
Wash-In-Place and fully automated Clean-In-Place available. Split butterfly valves on feed and discharge support contained integration.
Direct Scale-Up to MACRO-PACTOR®
Moving from 2.5 cm rolls to 10 cm rolls delivers a 4× throughput increase at the same force, gap, and speed settings. Scale-up factors of 600–2,400× are achievable.
21 CFR Part 11 Controls
Integrated HMI with audit trail, electronic signatures, and user management for full regulatory compliance in GMP environments.
Applications
- Laboratory development and formulation feasibility with limited API
- Pilot-scale batch production and clinical supply manufacturing
- High-potency compound processing (OEB 3–4)
- Scale-up studies and tech transfer at CDMOs
- Small-scale production for orphan drugs and low-volume products
MHS Pharma — Northeast US Representative
MHS Pharma provides direct technical representation for Gerteis across the Northeast United States. Contact us to discuss the MINI-PACTOR® for your application.
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